22 kids go missing from care of State
14-year-old found locked up in brothel, Dail told
TWENTY-TWO children vanished from State care last month, Aontu leader Peadar Toibin revealed yesterday.
The TD accused Tusla of using unregulated operators to provide special emergency accomodation for kids in need.
He also told the Dail how a 14-yearold had been abducted by a criminal gang within minutes of being placed with the child protection agency.
She was found a year later locked in a brothel.
Mr Toibin said: “A retired Judge, Dermot Simms, tried to raise these matters with [Children and Integration Minister Roderic O’gorman] but the Minister deleted his files citing GDPR.
“A whistleblower tried to make a protected disclosure about unvetted care workers.
“Tusla tried to oppose that but the commissioner has now ruled Tusla must accept it. One company was providing falsified vetting documents to Tusla and that an internal Tusla report in July found that staff did not have up to date Garda clearances.”
Gardai are investigating this particular company.
Mr Toibin added: “I understand that €90million has been spent by the Department so far on special emergency arrangements.
“I try to raise these matters with the Minister but he does not listen.” Mr O’gorman said he had meetings last summer with Tusla, the gardai, the special rapporteur on child protection and the children’s Ombudsman about the use of special emergency accommodation.
He stated: “That engagement was focused on the use of special emergency arrangements and in particular the situation of children in care and what the gardai was doing when children went missing for care.
“The Garda is reviewing Operation Cosnaim with a focus on how it traces people who go missing from care and will make proposals soon.
“I am acutely aware of the pressures that the over reliance on SEAS creates.”